The Morning Light sailors who plan to be the youngest crew ever to sail the Transpacific Yacht Race in July will be introduced this week to a key element of their quest: the boat. In the first of four monthly training sessions in Hawaii, the 13 young men and two young women will spend the next ten days getting familiar with the Transpac 52 they will race 2,225 nautical miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu to culminate Roy Disney's documentary film production.

Morning Light, a real-life adventure feature film recorded as it happens, will be part of this year's 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii in a project led by race veteran Roy E. DISNEY (USA).

Based on the premise of 'the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac,' the film will chronicle the recruitment, training and performance of sailors as young as 18 through the next race in July of 2007. On their own, they will sail a Transpac 52 called Morning Light, the working title of the film. None will be actors. There will be no script and no preconceived outcome.

Full Aloha Treatment

After a nationwide search for the crew last year, the start of 2007 has seen the team receive the full aloha treatment in the 50th state. Honolulu Mayor Mufi HANNEMANN said, 'We welcome the Morning Light sailors back for training and we wish them all good luck and god speed in this summer's biennial Transpac race. Honolulu welcomes Transpac every two years, but the presence of the all-star team of young sailors who make up the Morning Light crew - including Mark TOWILL of Kaneohe - makes this one special.'

One of the team's first outings will be to see the Polynesian sailing canoe Hokule'a off on its momentous 7,000 mile cruise to Micronesia early Thursday morning. Master navigator Nainoa THOMPSON schooled the team in the ancient techniques of navigation during two days of sailing in November. Photos of that Thanksgiving weekend experience are available for download at www.papahui.com.

'I was impressed by their eagerness to learn about Polynesian sailing traditions and the many similarities with what they're doing today,'

HANNEMANN said. 'We're glad that this project is being documented in a film that's an integral part of the project. Thanks to Roy DISNEY and the production crew, this will help inform the rest of the world about not only Hawaii, but also Polynesia, past and present.'

Aiming For A Transpac Record

At race time, the average age of the 15 sailors will be 21.2 years, a full year under the record. But they will be doing it alone with no ocean racing veterans on board, and DISNEY - who simultaneously will be sailing the maxZ86 Pyewacket in his 16th Transpac - is going to make sure they are ready.

'Part of what we want to accomplish in this first session is the safety-at-sea business of handling life rafts, man-overboard drills, CPR and emergency medical procedure,'

DISNEY said. 'They're going to be internationally certified safety-at-sea experts by the time they get through.'

Only four days of sailing are scheduled this time, starting on Saturday. Otherwise, they will be occupied learning the less glamorous but critical procedures from a team led by Chuck HAWLEY of West Marine, who has been conducting pre-race seminars for Transpac and other ocean races for years.

Also, Stan HONEY (USA), who charted ABN AMRO ONE's victorious course in the recent Volvo Ocean Race, will be drilling them on navigation, and Fuzz FOSTER of North Sails will teach them how to patch up torn sails at sea.

Determination of crew positions will come later.

DISNEY said, 'That's going to be an ongoing process. A few of the kids kind of know where they're going to be [on the boat], and there's a bunch who don't who are pretty good at many things. A lot of it is going to be determined by them as much as by us.'

Versatility Important

Versatility was a consideration in the selection process at Long Beach last August when the 30 candidates culled from 538 applicants were reduced to the 15 now in Hawaii.

'Absolutely,'

DISNEY said. 'You want everybody to be able to do be able to do everything, if possible. We've always worked like that on my boats. But there's always going to be a bow guy and a sewer guy. You hope everybody can steer and everybody can trim and you hope half of them can navigate.'

As DISNEY spoke on the phone from the Morning Light office atop the Hawaii Prince, he interrupted himself to make a sudden observation, 'We have an incredible double rainbow outside the window right now… just beautiful. It comes right down to here. I hope it's a good omen.'

Tom Burton (AUS) and Alison Young (GBR) hit the right note in the Laser and Laser Radial at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as they took out the top honours and qualification spots to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.

It was double Australian gold in the Paralympic classes. Matt Bugg (AUS) came out on top in the 2.4mR whilst London 2012 Paralympic SKUD18 gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) were triumphant in the two person keelboat.

Lithuania's Juozas Bernotas came out on top in the Men's RS:X whilst Russia's Stefania Elfutina was triumphant in the Women's RS:X. Both sailors claim the first Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots whilst Jock Calvert (AUS) and Joanna Sterling (AUS) picked up the Oceanic spots for the Emirati finale.

There was some fast paced action in the 49er and 49erFX Medal Races at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne as Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS) and Maia & Ragna Agerup (NOR) claimed the honours and Abu Dhabi final spots.

A tight group of five young Papua New Guinean (PNG) Laser sailors are stepping up their 2015 Pacific Games competition program using this week's ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne. PNG is one of 33 countries represented at the important Oceanic event, the largest Olympic sailing regatta in the southern hemisphere.

Nicolai Sehested (DEN) and his TREFOR Match Racing Team clinched victory today at the Energa Sopot Match Race, Poland, the 10th stage and World Championship Event of the 2015 World Match Racing Tour (WMRT).

There was no stopping current, and five-time ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR), GAC Pindar today at the Energa Sopot Match Race as he swiftly dispatched his Quarter Final opponent Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) in three straight wins.

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) continues to address concerns and is taking steps to ensure the health and safety of all athletes who will be competing in the upcoming Aquece Rio, Olympic Test Event and the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Veteran Polish match racer and America's Cup helmsman Karol Jablonski skilfully played the gusty conditions today to lead the twelve strong field of teams at the end of Day 2 of Qualifying at the 2015 Energa Sopot Match Race.